EP187 – Who Were the Quality Gurus? And Why They Still Matter
Ever wondered about the folks who really shaped how we think about quality? Join us as we explore the awesome contributions of the quality gurus – the pioneers who changed the game in how things get made! #AdvancedQualityPrograms #TheQualityGuy #ImNotYourGURU
We often hear the term “quality guru,” and it points to some truly remarkable people who dove deep into the world of quality management. They came up with cool techniques, helpful methods, handy tools, and big ideas that have made a real difference to businesses and organizations everywhere. Honestly, their names are still a big deal today, and for good reason! They helped make things better, more efficient, and more focused on what we actually need. There’s a whole bunch of thinkers out there, but we’re going to zoom in on six of the most frequently mentioned “quality gurus” – and trust me, their stories are fascinating!
Without these brilliant minds, the way we manage quality today would probably look very different. What’s even cooler is that many of their ideas stretched beyond just “quality” and found their way into all sorts of management areas. So, you could even say we wouldn’t have the level of great management we see today without them. Okay, enough with the intro – let’s get to know these quality gurus!
Walter Andrew Shewhart (1891-1967) – The Stats Guy Who Started It All
Shewhart is often called the father of statistical quality control, and you could even argue he was the granddaddy of quality management itself! Here’s a little-known fact: he’s the one who came up with the Shewhart Cycle, which later became super famous as PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act), thanks to Deming spreading the word (we’ll talk about him next).
This original quality guru was the first to say, “Hey, the little ups and downs in making stuff can actually be predicted and controlled with numbers!” This was a huge deal and really paved the way for everything we now know as quality management.
William Edwards Deming (1900-1993) – Mr. PDCA and Always Getting Better
Without a doubt, Deming is the most popular quality guru out there! He was a direct student of Shewhart and, like we said, the main person who made PDCA a household name.
But that’s not all! He was a huge believer in always trying to improve things. He felt that quality shouldn’t just be one department’s job – it should be baked into every single part of an organization, from the top bosses all the way down. Deming is also super famous for his 14 Principles of Quality, which highlight how important good leadership, sticking to your goals, and really listening to customers are.
Joseph Moses Juran (1904-2008) – The Quality Trilogy Master
Juran is really well-known for saying that quality should be everyone’s business! He believed in “managing by quality,” which means getting everyone in the company involved and making sure they understand how important quality is.
Plus, Juran came up with something called the “quality trilogy,” which is like a three-part plan: first, you plan for quality (Quality Planning), then you keep an eye on it (Quality Control), and finally, you figure out how to make it even better (Quality Improvement). Juran also gave us his “seven principles of leadership” and was key in using the Pareto principle to help with quality issues.
Kaoru Ishikawa (1915-1989) – The Diagram Dude
Ishikawa is another big name in the quality world, and he made his mark with a super useful tool that even has his name on it: the Ishikawa diagram! You might also know it as the cause and effect diagram, the 6M diagram, or the fishbone diagram (it kind of looks like a fish skeleton!).
When it comes to practical tools, he’s the one who gathered and shared the now-famous “7 quality tools.” He believed that these tools could help solve most business problems. Ishikawa also really pushed the idea that everyone in a company should be involved in managing and improving quality, and he was a big fan of having a well-organized Quality Management System (QMS).
Armand Vallin Feigenbaum (1922-2014) – The Total Quality Guy
Feigenbaum is the person who developed and spread the word about Total Quality Control (TQC). With TQC, he emphasized that everyone in the organization needs to be on board with quality – from the top executives right down to the folks on the factory floor, and even the suppliers!
This quality guru also pointed out that it’s super important to have quality management systems working smoothly together throughout the whole company, making it a natural and widespread thing. He also made us think bigger about the costs of not having good quality, including things like unhappy customers and maybe even losing business.
Philip Bayard Crosby (1926-2001) – The “Do It Right First Time” Champion
Philip Crosby is often remembered for his catchy phrase: “do it right the first time!” He was a major voice in promoting the idea of “zero defects.” He really believed that putting effort into making good processes from the start was way better than fixing mistakes later on.
Because of this, he stressed that we should focus on preventing problems instead of just finding them. In fact, he thought inspections should eventually disappear from companies! Crosby also highlighted that everyone in the organization is responsible for making sure quality is good and that getting everyone involved is key.
These Quality Gurus Really Shaped Our World!
Even if you haven’t specifically studied each of these gurus, chances are you’ve heard of or even used their ideas. Who hasn’t come across Crosby’s “zero defects”? Or the statistical process control that Shewhart talked about? Or the PDCA cycle that Deming made famous?
So, it’s easy to see that without these incredible people, we probably wouldn’t have made such huge leaps in how we produce things and, of course, in the quality of everything around us. What’s more, their core ideas are the foundation of all good management, and they’re deeply connected to what companies and individuals do every single day.
Ultimately, these quality gurus were game-changers – not just for quality or business, but for the history of humanity as a whole. They helped the world become more advanced and made life better and more comfortable for all of us.